October 20, 2009

THINKING BEFORE TWEETING

National Law Journal: Professor wants law students to think before they tweet

Karen Sloan

October 19, 2009

Drake University Law School professor Melissa Weresh is on a mission to
get law students and young attorneys to think twice before they hit
send on an e-mail, post a photo to their Facebook pages or update their
Twitter accounts. New technology has made communication faster than
ever before, but also has led to a widening gap in the way younger and
older generations communicate and differing opinions on what is
professional and appropriate.

"They way [law students and young attorneys] are accustomed to
communicating is just so different," Weresh said. "Everything is
immediately available, and they've almost been exclusively
communicating through electronic mediums in ways that older generations
may see as inappropriate."

Weresh has been holding seminars at Drake and across the country to get
young attorneys and would-be attorneys to be more deliberate in their
electronic communications and to think about the ethical problems that
can arise from new technology. The National Law Journal spoke
with Weresh about the mistakes she sees young attorneys making and how
those pitfalls can be avoided. Her answers have been edited for length.